From a play mate to a role model

By: Kelsey Horvath

The best things in life are free.Tyler has been my best friend since day one.

He has always taken care of me and looked out for me. When we were little, instead of being nervous of having a new baby on the way, he took the responsibility of watching over me. Ty has always been there for me.

When we were babies he was the one who would sit in front of me for hours calling me KooKoo Kelsey and making weird faces to try to get me to laugh. He would sit with me for hours on the couch in our family room or on our parents’ bed buried under stuffed animals. We used to always put on talk shows with all our stuffed animals for our mom and dad.

He took me under his wing. No matter how annoying I was, he always let me tag along. He was the one that made sure I was included when no one else did. I could have asked for a better person to call my best friend.

No idea is a bad idea.

He rarely ever turned anything I said down, he’s been a great teacher to me since we were little. If I thought about something he would always say, “Oh! Good idea Kels,” and try it out or attempt to make it even better. He accepted my weirdness and imagination as kids. For one of his birthdays, I had gotten him a block of wood and wrapped it. I don’t know where I found it, but I was extremely proud of this piece of wood. I was really excited to see his reactions when he opened up his present. When he did unwrap it, instead of asking why he received a block of wood as a present, he was energetically excited and thankful towards me.

Whenever I needed someone, Ty was always there. When I had my meltdown in first grade, he was the one who left the entire class of third graders during lunch to come console his sobbing mess of a sister. To think it was just because I missed my mom…he was always the one to make everything better.

One time I was sleeping in the extra bunk bed in his room because our older brother moved into his own room. When I was little I hated sleeping by myself during thunderstorms. Ty was the one who let me come down and sleep next to him so I didn’t have to be alone when our parents weren’t home. Since we were little he has helped me overcome my fears.

Ty has taught me to be optimistic and to appreciate the little things in

life.

He’s always had the ability to find the beauty in everything. I’ve always admired him for his optimistic

view of life. Our family has always joked about how he’s always been

the sweet and caring one out of the three of us, but it’s honestly the

truth. He can bring happiness and laughter into people’s lives without

even trying. He’s a role model for all, and never gives up on maintaining

balance in his life. Now that we’re older, he is

one of the only people I can never get sick of. He makes every moment memorable. Whether its out with a group of people or just us sitting at the kitchen table doing homework

and him randomly breaking out singing a random song. He has a gift of putting a smile on anyone’s face.

He always there for me.

I never wanted to go to college where one of my brothers went because I wanted my own “college experience.” I’m thankful I did not go on with my original decision.

The morning of my high school graduation one of my classmates had gotten in a serious car accident. After a strenuous summer we all to leave our friend for school. Within the first couple of weeks at school I found out that he had passed away.

It was a difficult time for me being away from home. My best friends from home and I were all split it. Phone calls could only go so far. I was in a new place, a new home, and with new people. When I didn’t know where to go or who to turn to, he was there. He was always there for me.

Ty’s taught me how to follow my dreams.

Each day here at Beloit brings something new for me. Some days I want jump into something brand new and try it, where spontaneity brings me to a place I have never been to before. Other days, I feel like I can’t drift from the norm. With each of those days, Ty has supported me to set high goals and not be afraid to step into the unknown. I can achieve anything that I set my mind to.

I’ve always admired my brother’s creativity. His passion for accomplishing his goals and taking risks has given me confidence in myself to not be afraid to go after what I truly want.

He’s taught me that in order to make other people happy, I need to find what makes me happy first. Doing something for the sake of the group can only go so far if my heart isn’t in it to. Ty has always encouraged me to find what makes me happy, and do it. If it doesn’t make me happy anymore, then stop and find what does.

We only get one shot with this life, find what makes you the happiest and make it memorable. He has always shown me that if you work hard you can accomplish you goals, so dream big.

Ty’s taught me how to take risks and that change is good.

My brother is currently in Spain this semester studying abroad. Even though I am not with him, he continues to teach me. I had asked him if he thinks he has changed as an

individual at all since he has been gone, and once again he taught me two very important ideals.

One, always appear to have confidence, whether you have it or not. He told me that if I

could appear confident, others will believe I am a confident individual. The more other people believe I am confident, the more I will believe it myself. The world was foreign, new, and scary when he first arrived in Spain. Like many students, he was quiet and nervous about speaking Spanish. He then started to appear to be confident, which internally made him confident. He

became his outgoing self again, began to try new things and soon became more confident with his speaking. Even when he was grammatically wrong, everyone was much more respectful and

warm and willing to help him because he was trying instead of second guessing himself. He took a huge risk. He said that once you achieve that confidence, you end up surprising yourself

with what you are able to do.

He told me about the importance to be open when meeting people. Make friends with everyone. He told me not to let differences and disagreements interfere with making new friends. He’s meet a lot of people abroad who have different views than him. A lot of times

many of their different views made him think and reflect on his own views. Some of his views have changed because of them. He told me to always be open minded because it leads to

interesting conversations and new friendships. He said get to know everyone, and let them get to know you. The best way to go about life is to be friends with everyone, life will be more

enjoyable.

The best things in life are free.